Monday, October 12, 2009

Pumpkin Puree Attempt #2

I wrote a few weeks ago that I had been unsuccessful in making my own pumpkin puree - I had attempted with so-called "pie-pumpkins" - which seemed appropriate. I ended up using butternut squash puree instead, but I wasn't quite ready to give up on trying to make pumpkin puree. This time I used an heirloom "Cinderella" pumpkin - and let me tell you she was just about too pretty to eat! I kept her for a week, hesitant to cut up such a beauty, but this weekend I couldn't wait any longer! For a mere $3 I got over 8 cups of perfect orange and creamy pumpkin puree.

To make pumpkin puree:1) Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds - save for toasting!!!2) Cut pumpkin into smaller chunks and remove peel - alternatively you could leave it in half (and even not remove the peel), but mine was really big and wouldn't fit in my baking pans.3) Place pumpkin halves/chunks in a baking dish (cut side down if in half) - preferable put a baking rack in the bottom of the dish so there is a little space between the bottom of the baking dish and the pumpkin.4) Pour just a little a bit of water in the bottom of the baking dish - about 1/4-1/2 inch5) Cover with foil and baking until very tender (mine took about 45 minutes at 350 degrees)6) Puree the cooked pumpkin in a food processor or blender (if you left the peel on, just scoop out the flesh and puree it).

*** Instead of baking the pumpkin, you could steam it on the stove top or in the microwave.

With half of my puree I made pumpkin butter, which is a yummy twist on the apple butter from my last post - I've seen lots of versions on this on the web lately, I kind of improvised a little with what I had on hand.

Combine all of the ingredients and let simmer on low heat - stirring occasionally until it reduces and thickens a little. Pour into canning jars and seal (or any other container, you'll just need to eat it sooner - which shouldn't be a problem).

*** Lots of the recipes I've seen on the web have called for adding some additional liquid - namely apple juice or cider. My pumpkin was more watery than canned pumpkin so I didn't think that was necessary. If you use canned puree, you should add about 1/4 cup of liquid for every cup of pumpkin.

Like pumpkin butter this is great on bread, but I can't wait to have it on some warm biscuits!

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About Me

We love to cook, love to eat, and love to read, write and talk about cooking and eating! In short, we live for food. On this blog you'll find simple, healthy (usually), tasty (hopefully) recipes from our tiny kitchen!